For as festive as the Christmas holidays are, they once brought their share of disappointment for Jacquelyn Frederick.
The Destrehan mother’s 6-year-old son Sebastien is autistic, and her early attempts at introducing him to traditional Santa Claus-themed and other holiday events proved to be difficult.
“It was too much stimulation – noise, chaos, and it was too overwhelming for him. When we first started trying to get him involved, it was just meltdown after meltdown, and you begin to feel like, ‘Well, is this meant for him? Is this something he’s going to be able to experience?’” Frederick said. “Maybe he’s not going to get this, it’s not going to be part of his plan and maybe I have to learn to accept this.”
That prospect was heartbreaking for Frederick. Soon enough, however, she found a solution.
It came through Caring Strategies’ annual Sensory Santa event in St. Charles Parish. It brings special needs children together with Santa Claus in an event catered to those specific needs – it includes no loud noises or long waits in line, and there are sensory-trained staff and sensory materials available to entertain the visiting children.
Caring Strategies is a local non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources to children with and without developmental disabilities, and other special needs. The organization serves hundreds of individuals and their families annually and is largely supported by United Way St. Charles. The goal is to help children with sensory challenges have a joyful Santa experience by providing an environment that helps the child feel safe and secure. This year’s event is scheduled for Dec. 6.
For Frederick and Sebastien, it was a significant milestone.
“I was introduced to it, and it’s this amazing event that creates an inclusive, calm and welcoming holiday experience for children who are neurodivergent or on the spectrum and can’t handle too much stimulation,” Frederick said. “It’s by appointment only. So, they can come in and meet with Santa Claus and it’s a calm environment. They can take their time and it’s not stressful.”
Frederick said the Santa Claus at the event over the past few years is good at what he does.
“I think he was trained to manage these situations where the kids might need a little bit more extra time and comfort,” Frederick said.
Children are able to color at the event, play with sensory-friendly toys and snack on – you guessed it – cookies and milk.
“It means the world to me. There’s no judgment, and you have peace of mind knowing he doesn’t have to miss out,” Frederick said.
The impact it’s had for her and her son is a reason why she wants to help the non-profit make the event even better for its visitors. Frederick has begun raising funds to purchase gifts for the children attending the event. She began a GoFundMe (titled Caring Strategies: Support their vital work) that garnered over $1,300 in donations over its first eight days.
“(Caring Strategies) is a non-profit and they rely on donations, and my goal was to just make sure that every child that comes to the event would be able to walk away with a gift from Santa,” Frederick said.
As much as fundraising for that goal is important to her, she equally wants to simply spread awareness of the organization and the Sensory Santa event itself – if it’s made such a large difference for her family, she reasons, it could impact many others positively as well.
“Just to let people know that this exists, and is great for kids in our community,” said Frederick.
For more information on donating, volunteering or registering for the Santa event, email Caring Strategies at caringstrategies1@gmail.com or visit www.caringstrategies.net. The organization also runs a Facebook page, which helps to keep the community up to date on all events.
